Dried Dairy
Dried Dairy is a manufactured dairy product made by evaporating milk to dryness. One purpose of drying dairy is to preserve it; milk powder has a far longer shelf life than liquid milk and does not need to be refrigerated, due to its low moisture content. Another purpose is to reduce its bulk for economy of transportation. Available as Dry Whole Milk (DWM), it is most commonly produced as Non-Fat Dry Milk (NFDM), also known as Dried Skim Milk (DSM).
History
While Marco Polo wrote of Mongolian Tatar troops in the time of Kublai Kahn carrying sun-dried skimmed milk as "a kind of paste"[1], the first usable commercial process to produce dried milk was invented by T.S. Grimwade and patented in 1855[2], though a William Newton had patented a vacuum drying process as early as 1837[3].
Dried Milk
Pasteurized milk is placed in a spray dryer to extend the shelf life. It is very simple to rehydrate the milk by simply adding water. Dried Milk is very popular in areas where refrigeration is limited. Shelf life of dried milk can be up to one year. Below are more derivatives of dried milk.
Dried Buttermilk
Originally, buttermilk was the liquid left over from churning butter from cream. Dried Buttermilk is spray dried, evaporating the water to leave only a fine powder. Buttermilk solids have increased in importance in the food industry.[4] Such solids are used in ice cream manufacture.[5] Adding specific strains of bacteria to pasteurized milk has allowed for more consistent production.
Dried Whey
Whey is used to produce ricotta, brown cheeses, Messmör/Prim and many other products for human consumption. It is also an additive in many processed foods, including breads, crackers and commercial pastry, and in animal feed. Whey proteins primarily consist of α-lactalbumin and β-lactoglobulin. Depending on the method of manufacture, whey may also contain glycomacropeptides (GMP).
Whey protein (derived from whey) is often sold as a nutritional supplement. Such supplements are especially popular in the sport of bodybuilding. In Switzerland, where cheese production is an important industry, whey is used as the basis for a carbonated soft drink called Rivella. Due in part to increased environmental concerns about disposal, the traditional outlets for whey, such as returning it to the milk suppliers for cattle or pig feed, or use as a fertilizer, or simply dumping it into the rivers or drains, no longer viable or too expensive. In the recent years it has therefore been necessary to find alternative uses for whey which had always been regarded as a waste product. However, the why dry matter contains components of high nutritive value and new techniques have made it possible to extract and utilize these. Fresh whey from conventional cheese production is approximately: 94% water, less than 1% protein, 4.5% lactose, less than 1% ash and less than 1% fat.
Whey though, can be dried like milk and other dairy products. Whey can be a great substitute for other dairy commodities.
Drying Processes
Spray drying is a commonly used method of drying a liquid by feeding it through a hot gas. Typically, this hot gas is air, but sensitive materials such as pharmaceuticals, and solvents like ethanol require oxygen-free drying and nitrogen gas is used instead. The liquid feed varies depending on the material being dried and is not limited to food or pharmaceutical products, and may be a solution, colloid or suspension. This process of drying is a one step rapid process and eliminates additional processing.
Today, powdered milk is usually made by spray drying[6] nonfat skim milk or whole milk. Pasteurized milk is first concentrated in an evaporator to about 50% milk solids. The resulting concentrated milk is sprayed into a heated chamber where the water almost instantly evaporates, leaving fine particles of powdered milk solids.
Alternatively, the milk can be dried by drum drying. Milk is applied as a thin film to the surface of a heated drum, and the dried milk solids are then scraped off. Powdered milk made this way tends to have a cooked flavor, due to caramelization caused by greater heat exposure.
Another process is freeze drying, which preserves many nutrients in milk, compared to drum drying. [2]
The drying method and the heat treatment of the milk as it is processed alters the properties of the milk powder (for example, solubility in cold water, flavor, bulk density).
Dried Dairy Blends
Many of these dried commodities are blended together and sold in separate dairy blends. Pro Mix is an example of dairy blends that is widely used in the food industry today. Pro Mix formulas can include dried buttermilk, dried whey, non-fat dry milk, and other powdered dairies. Commodities are available for purchase separately or in blended form.
Some Companies that Sell Dried Dairy
See also
References
- ^ p 262 in "The Book of Ser Marco Polo, Book 1" translated by Sir Henry Yule (3rd edition), Charles Scrabner's Sons, New York, 1903
- ^ p 277 in "Condensed Milk and Milk Powder, 3rd edition" authored and published by O.F. Hunziker, 1920
- ^ p 318 in "Foods: Their Composition and Analysis: A Manual for the Use of Analytical Chemists and Others" by A.W. Blyth, published by C. Griffin, 1896
- ^ Hunziker, O F (1923). "Utilization of Buttermilk in the form of Condensed and Dried Buttermilk" (PDF). Journal of Dairy Science. 6 (1). American Dairy Science Association: 1–12. Retrieved 2008-06-28.
{{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter|day=ignored (help); Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help) - ^ "Dry buttermilk and nonfat dry milk price relationship". U.S. Dept. of Agriculture. Economic Research Service. 1991-08. Retrieved 2008-06-28.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Milk Powder" by K.N. Pearce, Food Science Section, New Zealand Dairy Research Institute.[1]